Stripped to the studs

Updated 11:01 pm, Monday, September 16, 2013

Mario and Elva Rapanotti have gutted the Alamo Heights home where the Straus family entertained politicos and artists.

Mario and Elva Rapanotti have gutted the Alamo Heights home where the Straus family entertained politicos and artists.

Photo: Photos By Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

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The Rapanottis are redoing the bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen and living room and might add a rooftop pool.

The Rapanottis are redoing the bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen and living room and might add a rooftop pool.

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The former Straus residence features a series of arches on each of the four floors. It is being remodeled by new owners.

The former Straus residence features a series of arches on each of the four floors. It is being remodeled by new owners.

Photo: San Antonio Express-News

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A view of the kitchen and living area on the second floor of the old Straus house that is being remodeled at in Alamo Heights.

A view of the kitchen and living area on the second floor of the old Straus house that is being remodeled at in Alamo Heights.

Photo: San Antonio Express-News

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The main entrance of the former Staus house that is being remodeled at in Alamo Heights.

The main entrance of the former Staus house that is being remodeled at in Alamo Heights.

Photo: San Antonio Express-News

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The main entrance of the former Straus residence.

The main entrance of the former Straus residence.

Photo: San Antonio Express-News

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The master closet at the former Straus residence in Alamo Heights. New owners are remodeling the house.

The master closet at the former Straus residence in Alamo Heights. New owners are remodeling the house.

Photo: San Antonio Express-News

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Stripped to the studs

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With its repeating arches and lofty perch above Olmos Dam, the house captivated dentists Mario and Elva Rapanotti.

So they bought it. And now they have gutted the Alamo Heights mansion where the Straus family entertained celebrities and politicos ranging from mayors and senators, and — according to a recent real estate listing — presidents.

“We're remodeling it to fit our lifestyle now,” said Mario Rapanotti. The renovation of the house, built in 1986, includes the addition of elevators and redoing all the bedrooms and bathrooms, the kitchen and living room. The Rapanottis plan to add to a wine room and a bar that will look out over the living room.

One day, there might even be a rooftop pool overlooking the city.

From start to finish, he said, the project will take about a year-and-a-half. They expect to be finished by next summer, if not before.

The Rapanottis aren't alone in their home renovation.

Over the past couple of years, local contractors said, more homeowners have been remodeling or considering it, though most of the projects aren't as ambitious as the Straus mansion overhaul.

“Right before the election, everybody just kind of decided 'we're ready to go,'” said Scott Thomas of Bobo Custom Builders, a construction firm that specializes in remodeling. He said his firm has seen business increase about 25 percent since October.

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“I think when the recession hit and everyone was so downtrodden for such a long period of time,” he said, “I think they just finally said, 'I'm tired of being downtrodden,' and just said 'whatever we're going to do, we're going to do.'”

That change in psychology has tracked along with an improving economy, which experts say is another factor driving the remodeling boom.

“When it becomes difficult to either sell because the market is down, or ... because borrowing money has been relatively cheap, people do go in for more remodeling and stay in their houses longer,” said Jim Gaines, a research economist at Texas A&M's Real Estate Center.

However, he said that as the housing market continues to recover, people may shift away from remodeling toward buying new homes.

Remodeling projects come in sizes large and small. Some people are looking to redo a bathroom or kitchen or add a bedroom or porch. Others, like the Rapanottis, decide to rip out everything to the studs.

At Bobo, Thomas said, about 40 percent of the remodeling projects involve bathrooms, while kitchen overhauls account for another 40 percent of their work. They do most of their work in the area's older enclaves such as Olmos Park, Alamo Heights and Terrell Hills.

The cost of gutting and remodeling a typical hall bathroom usually runs about $20,000, he said. Kitchens cost more, running between $35,000 and $45,000 before purchasing new appliances, which can cost another $10,000.

The biggest challenges homeowners usually face when in a remodel, he said, is settling on a design and choosing materials.

“It's the countertops, the tile, light fixtures,” Thomas said. “The mechanics of taking (a room) apart and putting it back together are pretty cut and (dried).”

One of the contractor's biggest challenges is keeping clients on budget. And bigger projects require even more planning to keep them on track.

Craig Scott, owner of Cross Construction Co., focuses on whole-house renovations, which account for about half of his business.

Before he starts moving walls or relocating a kitchen across the house, he follows three steps to formulate a plan:

Get a designer and architect to draw detailed schematics of the changes the homeowner wants.

“The challenge on any project is getting the client's expectations in line with their budget,” he said. The extra professional help, he said, will save homeowners money by setting realistic expectations and avoiding costly mistakes.

The architect, designer, contractor and client review plans together.

Assemble a line-item proposal that describes the changes the client wants and the materials they desire.

All those details have to be worked out before he can give an estimate.

“I've seen a bathroom go from $50,000 to $100,000 just because of the selection of the materials,” Scott said.

Both Scott and Thomas said homeowners looking to remodel need to be prepared for the disruptions the work may cause in their life.

“We come in and your sink disappears Day One,” Thomas said. “It's a lot of takeout (meals), and no, you don't want to be washing your dishes in your bathtub.”

Those gutting their homes need to be prepared to live somewhere else for the duration of the work.

Remodeling projects can run into problems when contractors open up the walls, said interior designer Traci Morrow, a founding partner at Class, Covers & Colors. For instance, electrical wiring might be outdated, or there might be mold, or the original builder might have skimped on support beams.

Those issues can result in unexpected increases in cost. However, remodelers say most projects come in as budgeted.

Remodeling isn't the sort of thing that experts suggest if a homeowner is thinking about selling their home in the near future.

“You don't remodel to sell,” Thomas said.

But over the past 20, years, Mario Rapanotti said, he and his wife have purchased and then overhauled about 20 homes, eventually selling most of them.

“We just buy them and remodel them and keep them,” he said. “We just sell them as our lifestyles have changed or our needs have changed.”